Hufflepuff's Horcrux
by PoeticLife
Summary: This is what I think really happened in the Chamber of Secrets when Hermione stabbed the Horcrux. Canon if Ron and Hermione left out some details.


_"So we're another Horcrux down," said Ron, and from underneath his jacket he pulled the mangled remains of Hufflepuff's cup. "Hermione stabbed it. Thought she should. She hasn't had the pleasure yet."_

 _"Genius!" yelled Harry._

 _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter Thirty-One, Page 501  
_

Hermione Granger stiffened suddenly. A truly brilliant idea had occurred to her, a thought stirred from her memories of second year here.

Ron and Ginny Weasley, sitting on either side of her, had noticed. "What?" Ron asked.

She leaned over and whispered her plan in his ear. His eyes widened. "Brilliant, Hermione!"

"What is it?" Ginny asked.

Ron glanced at her. "If anyone looks for us, we'll be in the bathroom."

"It's war, for Merlin's sake!" She seemed annoyed, but not with them. "You aren't going to shag in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, are you?"

Ron and Hermione both cracked up.

"We're going to deal the Dark Lord a near-fatal blow," Hermione informed her, standing up. Ron followed her lead and stood up, too. They started to walk off.

Ginny called after them, but Ron said, "Tell you later, Gin," and took off running with Hermione.

Hermione cast a Disillusionment charm on the both of them silently as they ran, so that nobody stopped them or could even know where they were. Hermione was clutching the Horcrux like a lifeline.

When they finally got to the bathroom, Hermione had to stop herself by slapping her hands into the wall. Ron had the rare gift of being able to lurch to a stop.

"Never...doing...that...again," he gasped.

She was panting and sweating, but waved her wand. Instantly they could stand up straight, weren't winded, and were ready to take on the girl's bathroom.

"I love that spell," Hermione remarked, pushing open the door. "How did you two open the Chamber last time?"

Ron's eyes widened. "Harry did it. There was this sink that had a snake on-there!" He pointed to a grimy faucet.

Hermione stepped away from the door to inspect it. Sure enough, there was a serpent on the side of the faucet.

"He used Parseltongue, didn't he?" She asked.

Ron nodded.

Hermione swore, sparks flew out of her wandtip, and she dropped Helga Hufflepuff's cup.

"Oh!" He said loudly, his voice echoing around the bathroom. He snatched up the golden cup.

Hermione stared at him. "Oh?"

"If I can do this...I'll never, ever try this again..." Ron looked slightly troubled but determined.

"What is it?" Hermione asked eagerly.

Ron closed his eyes. He clutched the cup with both hands and concentrated very hard.

She watched silently, mouth slightly open.

Ron opened his eyes, and they were scarlet. He hissed in Parseltongue, and the sinks shifted out. He collapsed.

"RON!" Hermione screamed throught the noise of the sinks moving to reveal a stone slide.

He sat up suddenly and looked at her with wide eyes that were blue as ever. He looked at the cup and back to her shocked, horrified face.

"It was worth a try," said Ron defensively.

She ran over and hugged him. "You're alive!"

"Yeah," he said. "It was worth a try, I thought. But we're never telling anyo-"

"Of course not," she said, laughing. "Now what, though?"

Ron frowned at the giant slide going straight down in a freefall. "We jump."

"Wh-?"

He had grabbed Hermione's arm and jumped down the slide, talking her with him. All the way down, Ron yelled with excitement, Hermione screamed with terror. It seemed to last forever.

Finally, it twisted around. Their bodies hit the stone with a thud and slid ungracefully onto the floor. Hermione didn't want to know what the crunching sound was, or what she had just landed on.

"Yeah, those are bones," Ron confirmed.

Hermione got to her feet and punched him in the stomach. "Ow!" He cried.

"I hope it hurt," she spat. "What the hell were you thinking? You can't just-"

"Hermione!" He yelled over her. "I knew you'd be thinking about whether you should or shouldn't jump for ages, and there's a war on!"

She glared at him. "Let's get some Basilisk fangs."

Hermione turned around and stomped across the bone-covered floor to crawl through the hole in the rocks blocking their way. Ron followed uncertainly.

They didn't speak as they saw the dead Basilisk. A year ago, it would've scared Hermione senseless, but she had been through a lot in the past year. She walked over, yanked a fang out of the snake's mouth, and said, "We've got a weapon now."

"Good," said Ron. "Here's the Horcrux."

She blinked. "What?"

"You haven't had a turn yet," he explained. In the dim light of the Chamber, she could see that he meant it.

"Alright," she agreed.

Hermione took Hufflepuff's cup and placed it in front of her. Tightening her grip on the fang, she said, "Ready."

Ron let out another hiss, the same as he had to open the Chamber of Secrets earlier.

Lord Voldemort himself rose out of the cup, smiling maliciously.

"Hermione Granger, the filthy Mudblood. I know you, and I know that you will never get what you want."

She raised the fang, but something stopped her.

"You really think he came back for you? He came to save his best friend and couldn't care less about the accomplice that wouldn't join him. You let him walk out in the first place. You're fighting a battle you've already lost."

Hermione couldn't stop staring at the Horcrux. It could make her feel worthless in a few simple sentences.

"You're ugly and a know-it-all. Why would he want you? He's told you enough times. 'She's a nightmare'. He hates you and just takes pity on you, a poor little Mudblood. Your soul is too corrupted for him. He'll never look twice at you unless you put on a pretty dress and kiss Viktor Krum or Cormac McLaggen."

"I DON'T CARE!" Hermione screamed, and destroyed the ancient relic without a second thought.

A last, tortured scream echoed from the depths of Hufflepuff's cup, and it was done.

There was a stunned moment of silence. Hermione wouldn't look at Ron.

Until Ron began to clap.

Hermione burst out laughing. "Come on, let's get the other fangs."

She tried to control her shaking hands as Ron nodded. "Yeah, let's."


End file.
